The Reading Crisis and Your Child: How Identity, Confidence, and the 8 Smarts Shape Learning

Reading scores are dropping across the country, and behind every statistic is a child trying to make sense of words, meaning, and identity. In today's episode of Facing the Dark , Wayne and Dr. Kathy unpack why reading matters so deeply, not just for academics but for confidence, identity, and a child's formation. They explore a Georgia district working to retrain teachers, explain why vocabulary and decoding are such obstacles today, and show parents simple, powerful ways to support struggling readers using the 8 Great Smarts. With wisdom from Scripture, especially the beautiful pattern in Acts 8, this episode gives parents practical hope: you can help your child learn to read, and you don't have to panic or do it alone.